After the Hallows
by FredGinnyBillWeasley
Summary: Ginny ran towards the Great Hall, tears streaming down her face. She could hear Harry- no, Potter, she reminded herself, Potter- running after her, calling her name, but she ignored him. She rounded the last bend, shouted "Glisseo!" at the marble staircase and it turned into a smooth stone slide. She slid down it, then said the counter spell so it turned back into stairs under him.
1. Chapter 1

_**After the Hallows**_

 _ **Chapter One**_

 _"That wand's more trouble than it's worth," said Harry. "And quite honestly," he turned away from the painted portraits, thinking now only of the four-poster bed lying waiting for him in Gryffindor Tower, and wondering whether Kreacher might bring him a sandwich there, "I've had enough trouble for a lifetime."_

And with that, Harry turned, seeing his two best friends do the same. As they left the office, they heard the portraits on the walls start talking to each other, but the babble faded as they descended the spiral staircase into the corridor below.

"I'm glad that's over," sighed Ron.

"What?" asked Hermione, slipping her hand into Ron's.

"The war, the dying, the disappearances… Everything," Ron replied.

"Yeah, me too," Harry muttered, while Hermione nodded vehemently next to him.

They walked in silence to the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, where they stopped, looking at the Fat Lady. Or rather, where the Fat Lady _was_. Her portrait had been blasted into smithereens, and there was a blackened whole where it had been.

"Oh, my!" Hermione exclaimed. "Why did they do this?"

"No id- Harry? Where are you going?"

For Harry had suddenly run forward into the Common Room and sprinted towards the girl's staircase. He had just seen a flash of red. Not like the hangings, like hair. To be precise, Ginny Weasley's hair.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other, bewildered. Then they followed after Harry.

"Ginny?"

Silence.

"Ginny?" (more urgently)

Silence.

"Ginny, please, I know you're in here."

Still silence.

"Ginny!" Harry looked under the bed's, in the trunks and cabinets, and under the blankets, and behind the curtains.

"Ginny, please! I love you!"

He had not meant to say that. Why did he say that?

 _'Because it's true,'_ said an unbidden voice in his head.

But it had worked. Ginny came slowly out from behind the door, staring at him. Her brown eyes were huge and brimming with tears.

"You have no clue how long I've wanted to hear that from you," she said.

Harry smiled. "Yeah, well…"

"And now I wish you hadn't said it," Ginny added, her eyes hardening. "You leave me for months, with no warning, after dumping me because you 'had to go save the world,'" Ginny sneered. "Then you come back, also with no warning, you could have been dead for all I knew. But did you care? Oh, no, of course not, I was just 'Ron's little sister', always have been, always will be. You were just teasing me last year, weren't you? Oh, I should have known it was too good to actually work out, but I wished, oh, yes, **Potter** , I wished." Her voice was rising to a scream. "You don't even care that I lost a brother today, do you? He was my best friend out of all my brothers, and he's gone now, thanks to you!" Tears were streaming down her face now. "And then when you come back, you completely ignore me! Me, the last girl you went out with, the only girl you went out with successfully!"

And with that, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the dorm. Harry ran after her, trying to catch her, shouting at her to wait. He ran past a confused Hermione, and an even more confused Ron, who, after exchanging bewildered looks, followed after him.

Ginny ran towards the Great Hall, tears streaming down her face. She could hear Harry- no, Potter, she reminded herself, Potter- running after her, calling her name, but she ignored him. She rounded the last bend, shouted "Glisseo!" at the marble staircase and it turned into a smooth stone slide. She slid down it, then shouted the counter-spell and it turned back into stairs, right under Harry's feet. He stumbled and fell, cursing as he went. Ginny ran into the Great Hall, and people turned as she sprinted past, staring. She came up short in front of her family, who were staring at her, all with red-rimmed eyes, though none so much as George's. George started towards her, but then she heard footsteps running into the hall. She turned slowly, and there he was. Potter. She glared at him.

"Ginny, I'm sor-" he started.

"Oh, don't say you're _sorry_ ," Ginny snapped at him. She could feel her family staring at her back, and that made her feel stronger. "Potter, I hate your! You are a worthless piece of trash, and you had better not ever come near me again!"

He flinched. "Look, Ginny-" he started again.

"It's Weasley to you, Potter!" she shouted. The whole hall was watching now, and, for once, Ginny didn't mind all the attention. She was to focused on Potter.

He was coming towards her. Oh, Merlin, he was coming towards her! What should she do? Pull her wand out and curse him? No, he could easily block that. He was right in front of her now. And, without thinking, she punched him. Once, twice, three times, and again, as hard as she could. He doubled over. Obviously he hadn't been expecting to get hit. The idiot bastard.

She kept on punching every part of him she could reach. She could hear her family yelling, the teachers shouting, girls screaming. And then, above all, she heard Hermione's voice, right behind her, softer than anyone else's, yet still audible.

"Ginny, that's enough now. Come on, let go of him." Ginny had been pounding her knee into his chest. "I think you got your point across. You can stop." As Hermione physically pulled Ginny off of Harry, she heard that the hall, loud moments before, had gone completely silent. Everyone was staring at her, scared to move.

Hermione led Ginny out of the hall, up the marble staircase, up and up until they reached the seventh floor, in the corridor of Barnabas the Barmy. Hermione let go of Ginny here, and walked back and forth in front of the blank wall, until a door appeared there. She turned around when she heard a sob. Ginny was still up against the wall where Hermione had left her, but instead of standing, she was curled up in a ball on the floor, sobbing. Hermione hurried over to her, and took her hand, pulling her up.

"Come on, now, honey, let's go into the Room, and we can talk about it, alright?" Hermione half pulled, half carried Ginny into the Room of Requirement, which had transformed perfectly for the occasion. It was a small room, with some tea, a sofa, and a crackling fire. Hermione walked over to the sofa, still holding Ginny's hand. They curled up together, Ginny's head on Hermione's chest. She was sobbing harder than ever, and soon Hermione had a wet spot on her chest, but she didn't care. She kept rubbing Ginny's back, not saying anything, just being there for her 'little sister'.

A quarter of an hour later, Ginny sat up, breathing hard, a perfect example of what redheads look like after crying. Her face was blotchy and her eyes were red.

"Do you want to talk now, honey?" Hermione asked her, still hugging her.

Ginny shrugged.

"It's up to you," Hermione said softly.

Ginny stood up, walked over to the fire, and stood facing it, staring into its depths.

"F-fred was my favourite brother, you know, Hermione. He was the only one who treated me like an equal, instead of a baby. Bill was always really nice, but he treated me like a baby, almost. Fred was always there for me. He was there when Ron stole my teddy bear when I was three. He was there when I broke my toy broomstick when I was seven. He was there when I started at Hogwarts six years ago. He was there when I came out of the Chamber. He was there when Potter broke up with me last year. He loved me, more than anyone else, I think. He was always there for me," Ginny repeated.

Hermione sat watching her, her vision going blurry as she remembered Fred, the prankster, the funnier of the twins.

"Now he won't ever be here again. I wish I could talk to him now, about Potter, about the war, about everything. But I can't. He's d-dead, Hermione, _dead!_ " She was sobbing now, but she kept talking. "I loved him so much, I can't imagine life without him. He was my life. The reason I'm still here. If it weren't for him, I probably would have killed myself by now, with five older brothers to cope with. And the other person that really loves me is down in a bloody mess in the Great Hall! Because of me! I hit him, Hermione, I hit him as hard as I could, because I hated him. I don't anymore. I wish I could curl up with him right now, tell him everything. But I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. I'd deserve it. He actually loves me, Hermione, he said so, and I could have said it back, but I didn't. I just told him- I told him that I didn't want him anymore. I think he believed me."

And with that, she collapsed, sobbing again, onto the hearth rug.

"Oh, Ginny!" Hermione cried, running over to her. "I'm so sorry! I love you, Ginny, you're the little sister I never had," she sobbed. The hugged, rocking back and forth, sobbing.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey, thanks for all the wonderful reviews on the last chapter! Here's the next one; I hope you like it!**

 _ **After the Hallows**_

 _ **Chapter 2**_

Ginny woke up the next morning, nestled in Hermione's arms, still in the Room of Requirement. Sunlight was streaming in through the single large window, and the fire was almost out.

Hermione stirred next to her, and Ginny watched her as she sat up and stretched, rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out of them.

"Morning, Ginny. Merlin, did you sleep on my arm all night?" She asked, wincing.

"Yeah, I think so," Ginny replied, sighing.

"How are you this morning?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Not the best I've ever been. I knew I would be mad at him, I just didn't expect to hit him. I feel so terrible, and I think," she added, voicing her fear, "I think that I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't forgive me. I would deserve that."

"No, you wouldn't. You did what I would have done, and did do, to Ron. Except I didn't hit Ron that hard," Hermione said, with a faint smile.

"What? You hit Ron? When?"

"You know when he abandoned Harry and I because the locket was really getting to him, to his head?"

"No, I didn't know he did that!"

"Well, he did, and then he came back a few days later, and he just walked up and said 'Hey', with a smile and he looked like he was expecting to get a hug. I just grabbed his bag and started hitting him with it. I didn't talk to him for days after, until we went to the Lovegoods, when he agreed to go just to get back on my good side," Hermione finished with a slight smile. "But I think that you and Harry will make up a lot quicker than we did. You two just don't hold grudges, unless it's against Snape or Malfoy." Hermione sighed, looking sad.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.

"Snape. He wasn't all bad. And now he's dead, and we can't talk. I actually miss him, if you can believe it, Ginny."

"Yeah, I miss him too. I feel bad for the years of misery he had to deal with. He was too young to die. Just like Lily, James, Remus, Tonks, Sirius, and F-fred." Ginny paused, breathing deeply, before continuing. "All these deaths are V-voldemort's fault. Everyone who died was too young to die. I wish I could see all of them again. Its just so sad." She sniffed, her eyes filling with tears again.

"Oh, Ginny, you need to stop. It's not all bad. Voldemort's dead, for good, and all those who died fighting him died how they would have wanted to die, bravely fighting against the dark side for a safer world. They wouldn't have wanted you sad. Fred would want his funeral to be a fun thing, with jokes and no tears. He wouldn't have wanted everyone to be sad. He loved laughing, joking, pranking, and most of all, he loved happiness. He didn't like sadness. It just wasn't his thing."

"You're right, of course, Hermione. Should we go downstairs and get breakfast?"

"Yeah, but first, you should wash your face in cold water. Wake yourself up, calm you down. You need to keep your cool with Harry. He loves you more than anything else in the world. You're the only thing he has that he really loves. And I promise you, he'll forgive you."

Ginny smiled. "Thanks, Hermione, you're the best."

They stood up, hugged, and then walked out of the Room, towards the nearest bathroom.

A little while later, Ginny and Hermione walked into the Great Hall. They started heading towards the Gryffindor table, where the Weasley's were all sitting. Then Ginny saw that Harry was sitting there, too. He was looking at her, and when she saw him, he gave her a small wave. Ginny turned on her heel, dragging Hermione with her, and sat at the Ravenclaw table with Luna.

"Hello," said Luna dreamily.

"Hi," Ginny replied.

"You hit Harry Potter yesterday," Luna said it like it was a normal thing to do, and Ginny flinched.

"Yes, I did," she said tersely.

"Is this a sore subject?" Luna asked, still just as dreamy.

"Yeah, it is," Hermione answered quickly. "How are you, Luna? Did you get injured at all yesterday?" Ginny shot her a thankful look. She smiled slightly in return.

"Oh, no, I'm fine," Luna replied. "I only got a few scratches, and Madam Pomfrey healed them up for me. Rolf Scamander got her to do it for me. I think he likes me," she added, smiling dreamily.

"Oh, that's nice of him," Hermione said, glancing at Ginny and stifling a giggle. "Oh, my," she said, staring over Ginny's shoulder.

"What?"

Hermione pointed just behind her. She turned around quickly and found herself face to face with Harry. She stepped back, tripped over a bench, and fell onto Hermione. Hermione caught Ginny and set her back on her feet.

"Hi," Ginny said, somewhat breathlessly.

"Hey," Harry replied. "Can we talk?"

"Uh, okay," she said nervously.

Harry turned and walked towards the door of the hall. Ginny shot Hermione a nervous look, which Hermione returned, and she followed him out.

"I'm really sorry about yesterday," she said, looking at the floor.

"You don't need to be sorry. I deserved it."

She nodded, still looking at the floor.

"Ginny, look at me, please," he said pleadingly.

She shook her head. Suddenly, his hand was under her chin, forcing her to look at him. Her lower lip was trembling.

 _'Damn it,'_ she thought. _'Last thing I need; to go to pieces in front of him.'_

She bit her lip, trying to steady it, but that only made it worse. Her brown eyes were filling with tears, still staring at Harry's green ones, wishing she could run up to the Room of Requirement and cry her heart out. This was unusual, seeing as she hardly ever cried, and when she did, it meant something was very wrong in her world, and she was extremely uncomfortable.

"Ginny? Are you alright?" Harry asked, worried.

She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. He moved towards her, as though to hug her. Without thinking, she turned and ran up the marble staircase, down the corridor, and up more stairs to the seventh floor. She ran to the corridor of Barnabas the Barmy, and walked back and forth three times in front of the blank wall. A door appeared, and she wrenched it open, running in. This time, the Room had morphed into a bedroom, with windows and a comfy bed and crackling fire. She collapsed onto the bed, her body shaking with sobs. She had run away again. She had lost her chance. He definitely wouldn't want to be her friend now, much less her boyfriend.

A few minutes later, she heard the door open. Hoping desperately that it wasn't Harry, she stood up and turned around.

"Bloody hell," she muttered as she stood up; her head was pounding from all the crying.

It wasn't Harry, it was Bill! She stared at him in surprise, tears still pouring down her face.

"Hey, Ginny," he said softly. "Mum sent me to find you. She said you were probably here."

Ginny sat down on the floor, leaned against the bed, and held her head in her hands. Her body was wracked with sobs, and she didn't know where it was all coming from.

Bill watched in awe as his youngest sibling collapsed in front of him. The only other time he'd ever seen her cry was when the twins had left for Hogwarts. He had no clue what to do. Fleur never cried, so he had never had to deal with girls crying. It made him sad to think about it. He knew that, had he been here, Fred would have been able to comfort her. He shook himself mentally. _'Not thinking about that, remember? Get a grip on yourself. She's your sister and needs comfort. What did Mum say, when Percy was born about comforting siblings? Oh, yeah, hug them and rock them and let them cry on you.'_

He walked over to Ginny and sat down next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, murmuring soothing words to her.

Ginny flinched when she felt arms around her, but then realized that they were Bill's. She let him pull her towards him, and tried to stop crying. Eventually, she calmed down enough to look up at him. He smiled slightly at her, and she returned it.

"Better now?" he asked, letting her sit up.

"A bit," she sniffed. "Bill?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that Harry will want me anymore?"

To her surprise, Bill burst out laughing.

"What?" she asked, confused and a little hurt.

"Harry asked me the exact same thing yesterday, after you'd left," he replied, still smiling.

"And what did you say?"

"I said that you just needed to cool down a bit, and that you had every right to do that, and you hadn't meant anything that you said."

"How do you always know what I'm thinking?" Ginny asked, laughing. "You always say exactly what I think about something when I ask you about it!"

"Do I? Well, that would have something to do with being amazingly smart, and being able to see right through you, Ginikins," he laughed, using her old, and annoying, nickname that Ron had made up in retaliation for getting called 'Ronniekins'.

Ginny smiled. She loved it when she could talk with Bill, when he was carefree. He was always so much fun.

"But, on a more serious note, you really should talk to Harry now. He came back into the Great Hall looking pretty depressed. I can stay with you, if you want," he added.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Ginny replied.

They walked downstairs together, Bill with his arm around Ginny's shoulder's, and back into the Great Hall. Harry seemed to have been watching for them, because when they walked in, he stood up, looking hopeful.

Bill squeezed Ginny's shoulder, and guided her over to Harry. Ginny took a deep breath and said, talking to Harry's left elbow, "I'm really sorry for running away again, and I'll understand if you don't want to know me anymore. It would be a reasonable thing to do. I love you, but if you don't love me anymore, then I understand that too. Just know that if there's anything I can do to get you back, I'll do it."

While she had been talking, the hall had gone completely silent. Everyone was now looking at Harry. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ron and Hermione exchange worried looks. She looked back at Harry, and was surprised to see that he was right in front of her. Bill let her go and stepped back.

"I completely forgive you, Ginny, and I love you too."

She looked up, startled, and smiled uncertainly. He smiled back, and then suddenly dove in. His soft lips crashed down on hers, and he kissed her, hard and passionately, until they both ran out of oxygen. He pulled away to catch his breath before diving in again. Ginny forgot that the whole hall was watching. She forgot that family members surrounded her, she forgot everything. Her mind was in ecstasy as she put her hand on Harry's neck, pulling him closer. Finally, they broke apart, and Ginny pulled harry into a warm hug, tears in her eyes. Except that, for the first time in weeks, these were happy tears. She was so happy, she felt she could do anything. She closed her eyes, holding onto Harry as though he were her life saver, which, in her mind, he was.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading this! I'm not sure how many chapters I'm going to do, but there will be more! Toodles!**

 **FredGinnyBillWeasley**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey, Peeps! Thanks for reading my story**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Harry Potter. Anything that you recognize is J. K. Rowling's, not mine.**

 _ **After the Hallows**_

 _ **Chapter Three**_

Ginny buried her face in Harry's shoulder, and everything that had happened in the past few days came crashing down on her; the reality of it all. Before, it hadn't really been real. Now it was as real as the sun in the sky, and she couldn't handle it. She burst into tears. Her body shook against Harry's, and he hugged her tighter before guiding her over to the closest table and sitting down next to her. He hugged her, and let her cry into his chest. It felt good, finally letting it all out. She hadn't realized how terrible it could be to hold it in. Sure, she'd been crying a lot over the past day and a half, but she hadn't been thinking about _why_ she was crying, just that she was crying. It was a lot more relieving to think about it all as she ridded herself of it.

After a while, Ginny calmed down, but still didn't move. She was too comfortable. This felt _right,_ leaning on Harry while she cried, and feeling him comfort her in every way possible. It was just the way it was supposed to be when you were together with someone. Not what it had been like before, with all the talk of You-Know-Who, and the harsh break-up at Dumbledore's funeral.

"Ginny?" Harry asked. "Are you alright now?"

She nodded. "Are you going to move anytime soon?"

She shook her head. Harry laughed, his chest shaking against her head.

"Well, I need to eat, and so do you, so you should move," he said, still laughing.

She shook her head again. "I don't want too," she whispered. "I'm too comfortable. Merlin, I missed you," she added, sighing.

"I missed you, too, Ginny," he said, sobering up. "I can't begin to tell you how much I missed you. It would take eons."

Ginny smiled, her cheek against Harry's chest. She sighed, and sat up reluctantly. She knew her face was blotchy, but she didn't care.

"You're truly beautiful, you know," Harry said, reaching over and caressing her cheek.

"You always say the cheesiest things, you know that?"

"No, I didn't!" he said sarcastically, theatrically putting his hand over his heart and looking injured.

Ginny laughed. "You may say the cheesiest things, but at least you have a sense of humour! Michael Corner did _not_. He was so serious. That was part of the reason why I dumped him, other than him being a sore loser." She giggled, remembering the day that she had broken up with him.

"Hey, Ginny?"

Ginny turned, and there, to her horror, was Michael Corner.

"Oh, hi, Michael! It's good to see you again!"

"Oh, yeah, right. After what you just said, I'm not so sure. I'm sorry, Weasley, but I don't believe you," Michael said nastily, and walked away.

"That was awkward!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Oh, just let me punch him, will you?" It was Ron, looking murderous.

"No, don't. He never was very nice. I only went out with him to get at Harry," she grinned apologetically at Harry.

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Yup! Hermione convinced me to go out with other boys, and then you would start to notice me more, so you might like me."

Harry smiled at her. "Well, it worked!" he said happily.

"So, Harry, what are we doing today?" Ginny asked.

"We could have a picnic by the lake, or go up to the Room of Requirement and hang out. I dunno, what do you want to do?" Harry asked.

"I think we should have a picnic and invite Luna and Rolf."

"Who's Rolf?"

"Rolf Scamander, ya know, the grandson or something of Newt Scamander, and Luna's possible boyfriend. She thinks he likes her, and she likes him, I think, I'm not sure. It's almost impossible to tell with her, unlike your idiotic friends." She grinned. "I mean, everyone knew that they liked each other, except for them." Ron and Hermione were staring at her. She laughed at their looks of obvious shock that everyone knew before them.

Half an hour later found Ginny sitting on a blanket by the lake, talking to Luna. Harry and Rolf were talking about Newt Scamander. Harry wanted to meet him, and Rolf said that they could visit him over the summer.

"You really do like him, don't you, Luna?" Ginny asked, watching her friend staring at Rolf.

"Oh, yes. He really is very nice. I think that Harry loves you very much, and you love him more," she added, surprising Ginny.

"Yes, that's true. How did you meet Rolf?"

"Oh, he's been in my classes since first year. We've always been friends, just not very close. He asked me to Hogsmeade last year, as friends. I had a lot of fun," Luna said dreamily.

Ginny went to the Room of Requirement to sleep that night. She didn't think that she could sleep in her dorm room. It brought back horrid memories. She didn't think she would be able to sleep anyway, so the Room changed into a small library with a sofa that she could lay down on, and if she fell asleep, she would be comfortable.

Ginny perused the shelves, looking for a book to read. She finally settled on The Tales of Beetle the Bard. She knew them all by heart, and it was comforting to read them. She lay down on the sofa with her head on the armrest and a fleece blanket over herself. She opened the book, and started reading.

The next thing she knew was excruciating pain. She opened her eyes, and found herself on the floor with her arm bent oddly under her. She rolled her eyes, imagining what Harry would say when she told him _how_ she'd broken her arm. He and her brothers would never let her forget it. She sat up and groaned.

"Bloody hell! I never knew a broken arm hurt this much!"

Sunlight was streaming in through the high windows, and Ginny knew it must be almost noon. She glanced at her watch and gasped. It was one thirty! Harry would be in a panic, and her family would have organized a search party by now!

She stood up quickly and ran out of the Room, wincing every time her arm moved. If only she'd paid attention to how you fixed a broken bone!

She ran into the Great Hall ten minutes later, holding her arm to her and almost crying by now, but she didn't stop until she reached Harry, who was sitting in a state of extreme panic. When he saw her, he jumped up, and ran over to her. He enveloped her in a hug, and she nearly screamed as he squished her arm. He must have felt her tense up, because he stepped back and looked at her worriedly.

"What's wrong, darling?" he asked.

"Well, please don't laugh yet. I was sleeping in the Room of Requirement, and I fell off the couch that I was sleeping on, and, well, I sort of landed on my arm and broke it."

Harry's lips were twitching, but he didn't laugh. He brought her over to her mum, and explained what she had said.

"Oh, Ginny, dear, you ought to be more careful when your sleeping!" her mother said, smiling. " _Brackium Emendo!_ " she said, pointing her wand at Ginny's arm. It healed instantly.

"Thanks, Mum," Ginny said gratefully. She felt eyes boring into her, and she turned to see who it was. She stared in shock. It was George, and he was glaring at her.

"George?" she said, anxiously. "What's wrong?"

"If you don't know, I wont tell you," he said, his face twisted.

"Is it because of… Him?"

"What, scared to say his name?"

Ginny had never seen George this nasty. She knew it was because of Fred, but why was he taking his grief out on her? It wasn't her fault!

"No, not at all. Would you please tell me what's wrong?"

"Fine! If you really want to know, it's you!"

"Me!?" Ginny exclaimed in shock.

"You. You act all happy, and he's gone and won't be coming back! He's GONE, Ginny, gone and you done seem to care!" George's face was covered in tears, but he didn't seem to notice. "You just care about your stupid little love life, not your dead brother! I thought you loved him! I THOUGHT YOU CARED!" He shouted the last sentence for the whole hall to hear.

"George, I do care!"

"Oh, yeah, right, if you really did, you wouldn't be laughing! You would be sad! Not happy!"

Ginny had tears pouring down her face now too. "George! I do love him! I love him more than anyone else in the world! He was my best friend out of my whole family! I miss him as much if not more than you do! He was my life! He was always there for me, _always_! I don't want to lose you, too! You need to get a grip on yourself! Would Fred have wanted you to be mad at your family because he died? No, he wouldn't have! He would have wanted you to be happy, no matter what! He hated sadness! He hated anger, grief, worry, anything that wasn't a positive feeling! You, of all people, should know that!"

"And how do you know that? It's not like he confided in you!" George sneered.

Ginny crossed to him in two steps and smacked him across the face. Once with the palm of her hand, and then back with the back of her hand. She suddenly smelled something; Firewhiskey. He had been drinking. She grabbed a jug of water from the nearest table, and upended it over his head. Water splashed down over him, and he seemed to come to his senses.

He stared at her. "Did I say all that?" he whispered.

"Yes, you did. You didn't mean it. It was the drink talking," she replied.

He completely broke down, and threw himself at her. "I'm s-s-so sorry!" he sobbed. Ginny patted his back comfortingly, and looked pleadingly at her mother. Her mother shook her head. Ginny understood. George needed her.

"It's alright, George, really, it is," she said softly. "Come on, let's go sit down."

They walked slowly over to a bench and sat down. George sat with is elbows on his knees, his head in his hands, his body shaking with sobs. Ginny hugged him, resting her head sideways on his back.

"It'll be okay, George. I promise, it'll be o-okay," she said, her voice shaking. She tried not to cry, but it was no use. She was still comforting George with thoughts running through her head. _'He's gone. He's gone and he won't be coming back. You'll never see him again. You have to live the rest of your life without him. Without your main confident. He loved you, but he left. He left you to live without him.'_

She wasn't aware of standing up, but she had, and she was stumbling for the door of the Great Hall. People were calling her name, but she ignored them. Someone grabbed her elbow, but she shook him or her off. Someone said to leave her alone, and she was thankful. She couldn't see through the tears pouring down her face. She ran into someone. It was Hermione. She was asking Ginny what was wrong, but Ginny couldn't answer. Ginny swerved around her, breaking into a blind run.

Finally, she reached the Entrance Hall. She ran out of the castle, towards the Whomping Willow. She found a stick and prodded the knot. The tree froze, and she ran into the tunnel. Still sobbing uncontrollably, she ran bent over down the tunnel. She didn't know why she was going to the Shrieking Shack, but she kept going. She reached the end of the tunnel, and ran out into the room. There, lying against the wall was Snape. Ginny ran over to his body and collapsed on it, hugging him and apologizing for all of the mean things she ever said about him, and for Lily.

She sobbed into his chest for a while, until she heard footsteps in the tunnel. She stood up, brushed herself off, and waited. It was a girl Ginny had seen only once or twice, but she knew that Percy was sweet on her. At least he'd gotten over Penelope. Ginny almost giggled, but then remembered why she was here in the first place, and the waterworks started again. Ginny stifled a sob, but the girl heard her. She looked around and saw her.

"Hi, Ginny," she said softly. "I'm Audrey. Molly sent me to look here. Are you okay?"

"N-not really," Ginny said, tears still streaming down her face. "How did Mum know where I was?"

"She had me follow you. She didn't want to lose you."

"Oh."

"Do you want to talk?" Audrey asked.

"I don't know," Ginny said, sighing. Suddenly, she burst out, "I feel like I should comfort George, since we're the ones that knew Fr-him best, but I c-can't. I just can't talk about it, or see George this messed up."

"I understand. I had two other sisters, and they were really close, but then Ella, the younger one, was murdered by You-Know-Who, and Iola was heartbroken. She ended up committing suicide because she didn't talk about it," Audrey paused, lost in thought. "We need to figure out how to get George to talk about it. He is drinking way too much, and we can't lose him. Imagine what would happen to your mother then. She'd be past devastated, and into depression. But that's where George is heading already; towards the deep end of depression. We need to stop him."

"How, though?" Ginny asked, still crying.

Audrey went over to her and hugged her. "Is that Severus Snape's body?" she asked, rather surprised.

"Y-yes. I feel so bad for him!"

"Why? I thought you hated him."

"Hated, past tense. I guess you didn't hear about his memories. Harry told Ron and Hermione, and Hermione told me. He was desperately in love with Lily Evans, Harry's mum. But Lily only thought of him as a friend, and in her fifth year, he called her 'Mudblood'." Audrey winced. "So, she left him with his Death Eater pals, and wouldn't except his apology. In her seventh year, Lily got together with Snape's worst enemy, James Potter. They got married, and had Harry. Then Snape heard the prophecy, the one that made Voldemort go after them. Snape told his master, but when he found out who Voldemort thought it was, he went to Dumbledore, and begged for help. Since then, Snape was a spy for Dumbledore. He was such a good Occlumens, that Voldemort couldn't use Legilimency against him. Then, the night of the Battle of Hogwarts, Snape was killed by Nagini, Voldemort's snake."

"Wow. That's kind of sad, even though I hated Snape when I was here."

"What house were you in?"

"Hufflepuff. Cedric Diggory was my best friend."

"Oh, yeah, I remember seeing you with him! You were the only one not wearing a 'Support Cedric Diggory' badge, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I was. Everyone else was so mad at Harry for entering the Tournament, but I was the only one who believed that he hadn't entered. Even Cedric thought he had, but he didn't hate Harry for it."

"Yeah. He was too young to die. Just like Remus and Tonks, and Fred." Ginny breathed deeply, trying not to cry.

"Ginny, you don't need to hold it in. It's good to cry when you're in grief. It helps you get over it. I promise."

Ginny burst into uncontrollable tears. She couldn't help it. She cried and cried, with Audrey rocking her back and forth, hugging her tightly.

An hour later, Ginny finally stopped crying. She felt like a thousand pounds had been lifted off her soul. She felt much better.

Except for the fact that she had a raging headache.

"Bloody hell!" Ginny exclaimed. She sounded like she had tissues stuffed up her nose.

"What?" Audrey asked worriedly.

"Head," Ginny muttered, sitting down quickly, as she felt light headed.

" _Episkey Caput_ ," Audrey murmured, pointing her wand at Ginny's head. It stopped aching immediately.

"Thanks, Audrey!" Ginny said, smiling.

"No problem," Audrey smiled back.

"Should we go back now?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, we probably should. We should take Snape back, too. He deserves a place among the dead that died fighting V-voldemort."

"Yeah, that's true. We should bury him next to Dumbledore. He was just as great, no matter what some people might think."

" _Locomotor Snape_!" Audrey said, pointing her wand at Snape. He rose a few inches off the ground, and floated in front of them through the tunnel and across the grounds. They climbed the front steps to the oak front doors, making sure Snape's head didn't hit the steps. They crossed the Entrance Hall, and went through the doors of the Great Hall. People stopped what they were doing and stared at them as they entered. _'We must look pretty weird, walking into a place where Death Eaters aren't welcome, dead or alive, with a known Death Eater, and both of us with tears in our eyes.'_ It was true. They hadn't talked while walking back, and Ginny knew that they had been thinking about the same thing; all the terrible things that Snape had had to go through.

Then people started shouting and shaking their fists and wands at Ginny and Audrey, obviously thinking that they had liked the Death Eaters.

"We're going to have to make a speech to explain," Audrey muttered to Ginny as they headed towards the Weasley's, Harry, and Hermione.

"Yeah, we are. Even my own family doesn't understand." The Weasley's were all glaring down at Snape, with the exception of Ron.

"Let's go up to the top table," Audrey murmured to Ginny.

"Good idea. Mum looks like she could 'Avada Kedavra' Snape, even though he's already dead," Ginny laughed.

They swerved towards the front of the Hall, still with Snape floating in front of them. They turned around when they reached the top of the few stairs to the platform that the teachers' table was on.

" _'Sonorous',"_ they said in unison, and their voice boomed out above the babble.

"Hi everyone," Audrey started nervously. "Ginny and I would just like to explain why we brought Severus Snape in here. It's not because we liked Death Eaters or anything, but because Snape was not a Death Eater. Not in the end, anyway." She looked at Ginny, and Ginny continued for her.

"I know that everyone here thought him a traitor, but he wasn't. It all really starts when Snape was nine. He and Lily Evans lived in the same neighborhood, and they met when Snape was watching Lily on the swings with her sister. He was the one who told her that she was a witch. They were best friends, and they were planning on staying friends for the rest of their lives. But when they got to Hogwarts, Snape was sorted into Slytherin, and Lily into Gryffindor. They stayed friends even though, until their fifth year." Here Ginny paused, and glanced at Harry. His face was set; he knew what was coming. "It happened on the day that they did their Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. written exam. They had just finished, and they walked out to the lake. James and Sirius got bored, so they started picking on Snape. Lily saw what was happening and went over to defend Snape. James said that Snape was lucky that Lily was there to protect him, and Snape said, 'I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!' Their friendship ended there.

"Snape tried to apologize, but Lily wouldn't have it. She ignored him as much as possible from then on. In her seventh year, Lily got together with Snape's worst enemy, James. They married after they left school, and had Harry. When Harry was around six months old, Snape overheard part of one of the few prophecy's Sibyl Trelawney ever made. It was the prophecy that made Voldemort go after Harry. He told it to Voldemort immediately. Then Snape found out that Voldemort thought that it was Harry, and he knew that his master would kill anyone who got in his way. He went to Dumbledore, and begged him to save Lily Potter. Dumbledore tried to by doing the Fidelius Charm, and he chose Sirius Black to be Secret Keeper. But, at the last minute, they switched to Peter Pettigrew, who sold Lily and James to Voldemort. Snape turned spy for Dumbledore, at risk of his life. He died protecting Harry, whom he had promised to keep alive if it killed him," Ginny finished, staring around at all the watching faces.

Everyone was staring at Snape in a new light. Ginny glanced at Harry, and he nodded slightly. She had told the story correctly. She turned and hugged Audrey, after undoing the Sonorous Charm.

"Good job, Ginny. That was brilliant!" Audrey whispered in her ear.

"Thanks, Audrey," Ginny said, her voice slightly hoarse.

The next thing she knew, Harry had run up onto the platform and was hugging her tightly.

"I love you so much, Ginny," he whispered. "Thank you for doing that."

"Your welcome, Harry. I love you too." She kissed him.

"I would never have been able to finish the story. When ever I think about my parents deaths, I see a flash of light, and hear Mum's voice, and Voldemort laughing. It's horrible."

"Yeah, it sounds like it," Ginny said. "Harry, I think we should bury him next to Dumbledore. He deserves it."

"I agree."

 **A/N: I hope you like it! I'm looking for a beta reader, so PM me if you're interested.**

8


	4. Author's Note

**Authors Note**

 **Hey, guys! So I just wanted to say that I have been uploading a chapter pretty much every day, but I can't do that very easily during the week. So I am going to try to do one every Sunday. I'll try to do one during the week this week because I'm going to be on vacation this weekend, and I won't be taking my computer with me.**

 **I'd also like to say that I haven't been getting nearly as many reviews as I would like. I need people to tell me what they think so that I can keep going. I am trying to go all the way to the epilogue, which is happening in real life this September! I'll end there, and I would like some suggestions on what I could write about next. It'll have to be Harry Potter, but any ideas that you have, and you think that I could write about them, tell me!**

 **Thanks,**

 **FGBW**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Another chapter! I honestly don't know where all my ideas are coming from :)**

 **Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling is the bestest, and I could never even get close to being as good as her! In other words, I don't own Harry Potter.**

 _ **After the Hallows**_

 _ **Chapter 4**_

The sun was high in the sky. It was the day after everyone found out about Snape's double agent role. It was also the day of the burial for the dead. Ginny was sitting by the lake with George, saying good-bye to Fred. Both were in tears, holding each other as if the other was a lifeline.

"Do you- do you think that h-he'll come back as a g-ghost?" George asked.

"N-no, I don't. I think- I think that he embraced death. He was ready for it, and he knew what was coming. Just like Sirius, Snape, Cedric, Dumbledore, and Harry's parents," Ginny replied softly.

"I thought you'd say that," George said sadly.

"George, Audrey said to me me that you need to talk about it. She used to have two sisters, but one was murdered by Lord Voldemort, and the other committed suicide because she wouldn't talk about it. I couldn't bear to lose you too," Ginny said, sobbing harder.

"Ginny, I'll talk about it when I'm ready. I think I nearly am. Can we meet in the Room of Requirement tomorrow afternoon? Please?"

"Y-yes."

They stopped talking, and George hugged Fred's body as hard as he could. Ginny had the same thoughts going through her head over and over again. _'He's dead. Fred's dead. My brother's dead. He's not coming back. He's dead. Fred's dead. My brother's dead. He's not coming back.'_ They kept repeating, until she collapsed onto her side and screamed with grief. It was a horrible, blood-curdling, scream. She put all her grief into it, and it went on and on for a while, with tears pouring hard and fast down her cheeks. George was staring at her, obviously at a loss as to what to do. She stopped screaming to catch her breath, and then started again. No one there could have known just how much grief she had been holding in.

Harry was with Hermione, and they were saying good-bye to Remus and Tonks. Harry had tears silently streaming down his face, as did Hermione. Harry was thinking about their son that would never remember them, never know them, never hear their voices again. Suddenly, a terrible scream rent the air. Harry spun around, whipping his wand out as he did. _'Ginny!'_ he thought.

He sprinted to where she had been with George and Fred's body. She was still there, and she was lying on her side, curled up in a ball with her head out, screaming in grief, tears pouring down her face. He knelt down beside her, and reached out to take her hand.

 _'Harry. It's Harry,'_ Ginny thought, still screaming. Suddenly, she wanted to be alone. She didn't want Harry. She didn't want George. She only wanted Fred. She leapt up, and ran. She just ran as fast as she could. She didn't know where she was going, just that she was going away from the people, away from everything. She wanted to run away from life.

She reached the gates with the winged boars, and ran past them. The minute she was outside them, she turned into the crushing darkness. She didn't know where she was Apparating to, she only knew what she was Disapparating _from_.

Suddenly, she was standing in a thunderstorm at the edge of a cliff. The wind was blowing, and she realized that she was at the ocean. She stared down the cliff. It was a long way down to the beach. It was the perfect place for her at the moment. She looked up at the sky, letting the rain hit her face.

She stepped over the edge.

Harry stared after Ginny bleakly. She was running towards the gates, and when she reached them, she Disapparated. She was gone. He couldn't know where she had gone.

He stood up, and ran to Mr. Weasley. "Mr. Weasley, Ginny just Disapparated. I don't know where she went. You heard her screaming. She was keeping it all in without knowing it. We need to find her!"

"Yes, we do. Round up everyone you can, and tell them to meet in the Great Hall at one o'clock, alright? I'll explain a search plan there."

Harry ran to the nearest person, Parvati Patil, and told her. She started telling people too. Soon, they had almost everyone together in the Great Hall. Mr. Weasley was assigning different parts of the country to different people.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, Bill, and George, take the tip of Scotland."

Harry found Ron, Hermione, Bill, and George, and they ran out of the castle together, and to the gates. They grabbed hands, and Disapparated. They appeared a few yards away from a cliff edge, and spread out, searching. Bill called to them a while later. They all ran over to him.

"Did you find-" Harry started, but Bill shook his head.

"I found a path down to the beach. We should search down there. Who wants to go first?" Bill asked.

"I will," said George.

Bill nodded, and George started down the path. It was much easier to walk than it looked, so they took it quickly. Harry followed after George, and the rest followed after him. They reached the bottom of the path, and spread out, searching once more. Suddenly, Hermione screamed.

"What!" Four different voices yelled.

They all ran in the direction her scream had come from. She was leaning over something. Harry ran closer, and saw that it was Ginny. He suddenly felt light-headed. She was covered in blood, and it was clear that she had jumped off the cliff.

"She was telling me not to do this!" George exclaimed. "She had more grief than anyone could have known! I don't think that _she_ even knew!"

"Is she- is she… Alive?" Harry asked desperately.

Hermione felt her wrist, then her neck. Apparently she couldn't feel a pulse. Harry sat down quickly. Hermione conjured up a mirror and held it under her nose. They all held their breath. Slowly, the mirror fogged up. She was alive!

"We have to get her back to Hogwarts!" Bill said. "I'll send a patronus to dad."

He did this quickly, and then picked her up and Disapparated with her. The rest followed after him.

The gates loomed suddenly in front of them as they appeared next to them. They all ran in, and Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had stayed behind to wait for the first party back, met them.

"My God…" he said, staring at Ginny's mangled body. "What happened?"

"She attempted suicide," George said shortly. "Where's Madam Pomfrey?"

"In the Entrance Hall," Kinsley replied.

Bill carried Ginny into the castle, with George and Harry following. Ron and Hermione stayed behind to talk to Kingsley.

Madam Pomfrey was waiting for them. "Over here," she said, conjuring up a stretcher. Bill placed Ginny gently on the stretcher, and Madam Pomfrey directed it up the marble staircase and towards the Hospital wing, with Bill, Harry, and George following.

Ginny heard voices. "Why did she do that?" _'Do what?'_ she wondered. "And _she_ was worried about _me_ doing that. She couldn't have known how much grief and pain she was carrying." That sounded like George. But what were they talking about? She tried to open her eyes, but she couldn't. She drifted back off into the darkness.

The next time she woke up, she could tell that she was alone. It was light out. She tried to open her eyes again, and found that she could open them slightly. She tried to wiggle her fingers, but it didn't work. She closed her eyes and the blackness enclosed her once more.

 _She was standing in a field- no, wait, an orchard. The orchard behind her house! And there was Fred, walking towards her, like he had so many years ago, when Ron had hurt her feelings so much that she had almost run away._

 _"Fred? But- but I thought you were dead…?" she said, confused._

 _"I am dead. This isn't real, Ginny, remember that. It's real while it's in your head. Why did you try and commit suicide?" his voice was strangled as he said it._

 _"I wanted to see you again. That's all I was thinking about, and then the next thing I knew, I was falling. I don't know why I did it," she said sadly._

 _"I know that you were doing exactly what you had warned George about. You thought that you were talking about it. You thought that you had gotten rid of most of the grief. But you weren't even half way there. You had no control over it. The pain and grief took over, and you tried to end it." Fred walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Talk to me, Tomato," he said, and the use of the nickname caused her to burst into tears. He was the only one that she would ever let call her that._

 _"Fred, why did you have to die?" Ginny asked wildly, grief taking control for a split second._

 _"I'm happy with the way I died. I died protecting my family and friends, and, most of all, you. I love you, Ginny. Don't ever forget that. I don't want you to join me yet. You're too young, and you have a life to live. You need to talk to someone about me though. You need to get help. What you didn't realize is that you're as messed up as George is, if not more, with my death. Tell him I love him, and that I'll never forget him, okay? Tell him as soon as you get back."_

 _"I will. Where are we?"_

 _"We're at a halfway point between Heaven and the Land of the Living. You have a choice. You can either come with me, or go back. While I wouldn't complain if you came with me, you have to think about how everyone would feel if you died."_

 _Ginny thought. And thought. And thought some more. "I- I think that I should go back. Will I be able to see you again?"_

 _"I'll visit once in a while, as I will with George when he's gotten more used to me being gone. You should go now, Tomato."_

 _"Alright," Ginny said reluctantly. "I love you so much, Fred!"_

 _"I love you too, Tomato," Fred said, fading as he did. "Don't dwell on the past, dwell on the future, and what will come with it…" He was gone._

Ginny woke up, and this time she could move. The first thing she noticed was that her face was covered in tears. She reached up to wipe them off, and felt something scratchy rubbing at her face, instead of her hand. She opened her eyes, and realized that her arm was in a cast. As were her legs.

She was alone in the hospital wing. At least, she thought she was, until she heard a snore. She looked over at the bed next to her, and saw George. She looked to the other side, and saw Harry. Both were sleeping.

"George," she tried to whisper, but all that came out was a croak. She tried again. "George," still a croak, but apparently it was enough to wake him up. He opened his eyes groggily, and turned his head to look at her. When he saw that she was looking back at him, he leapt up and ran over to her bed.

"Ginny? You're awake?" He sounded very relieved.

Ginny nodded. She tried to talk, but still it was just a croak. She gestured to the water, silently asking for some. George poured some into the goblet next to the pitcher, and guided it to her mouth. She drank thirstily.

"I had a dream about Fred," she said, her voice rough. George stared at her, willing her to continue. "It wasn't an actual dream, really. It was real, but only in my head, you know what I mean?" George nodded mutely. "He told me I had a choice between going with him, or coming back. I chose coming back. No, not because of Harry." George's eyes had flicked over to Harry's bed. "Not because of Mum and Dad, or anyone else. I came back because of you, George. You need me, and I need you. Fred also told me to tell you that he loves you, and that he'll never forget you." George sat down quickly on the bed, his face in his hands.

"Did he say anything else?" he asked, his voice muffled.

"Yes, he said that he'll visit you in your dreams sometimes, but only once you've gotten used to him being gone. If he visits you now, it'll just drive you crazy, and you know that." George nodded. "How long have I been out?"

"Five days," George said, finally lifting his head. His face was terrible to look at. It was twisted with pain and grief. "Why did you do that?" the words sounded as though they had physically been ripped from him.

"I don't know. I wasn't planning on it. I was just thinking about how I would never see, hear, or touch Fred again, how he would never comfort me again, and the next thing I knew, I was falling. I don't even know if I jumped or stepped or fell."

"And you were worried about me doing that. At least I know how much grief I'm carrying. You, apparently, don't. Just don't ever do that again! You are the closest thing I have left to Fred, and I thought you were dead, too!"

"I'm sorry, George, really I am," Ginny said, tears in her eyes. Suddenly George threw himself at her, hugging her so tightly she could hardly breathe.

"I love you, Ginny. And I forgive you," he said, his voice breaking. Next thing they knew, they were both sobbing again, hugging each other tightly. The sound of their crying must have woken Harry up, because when Ginny opened her eyes, he was standing, staring at them. Ginny gestured at him with one hand, and he came over and sat down next to her on the bed, opposite George. She pulled him into the hug too, and he squeezed her tightly, kissing her forehead.

George and Harry both lay down next to her, their arms around her, hugging her. Soon after that, they fell asleep simultaneously, still in the same position. That was how Bill found them when he walked in later.

George woke up first, then Harry, then Ginny. While George and Harry opened their eyes and sat up when they saw Bill, Ginny kept her eyes closed.

Bill must have assumed the worst, because he said, "Is she…Dead?"

His voice made it seem like she had been on the brink of death. Which, she realized, was probably true, seeing as she'd had the choice of dying and living.

"No, I'm not," she said, opening her eyes.

"Oh, Firefly, I was so worried!" Bill exclaimed, using a nickname that he hadn't used since she was four. "Just don't do that again, alright?"

"Yeah, so far three people have said that."

"Who, George, Harry, and me?"

"I didn't say that," said Harry, confused.

"No, you didn't. Fred did."

"Firefly, Fred's gone. I don't want to believe it either, but he is," Bill said sadly.

"Just let her finish, okay?" George said, impatient.

"I had a dream about Fred. Well, it wasn't really a dream, it was real, it just didn't happen. Do you know what I mean?" Bill nodded. "He told me he loved me, and to tell George that he loves him, too, and that I had a choice between living and dying. I came back for George. He needs me, and I need him. Fred also told me not to do that again, obviously. He said he would visit me sometimes, too."

"Wow," Bill said. He was obviously surprised, but he also obviously believed her. "Did he say anything else?"

"Yes. He told me that he didn't want me to join him yet, because I am too young, and I have a life to live. He also said that he was happy with the way he died. He said that he died to protect his family, friends, and, most of all, me and George. He didn't say George, but it was obvious. He loved you more than you can imagine, George," Ginny added, glancing at him.

"He loved you more than you can imagine," George replied, his eyes full of tears once more. He dashed them away, annoyed.

"Should I go get mum and dad?" Bill asked.

"And I'll go get Hermione," Harry said.

They left, shutting the door behind them. Ginny stared at George, and George stared at Ginny. "I don't know what I would do without you," George said.

"Me neither."

"Well, without yourself, you might have some problems doing anything…" George said slyly.

Ginny smacked his arm playfully. It was good to see his sense of humor back. "You know what I mean, George!" she said. "What happened to you when I was out? You've changed. You seem happier. Not that I'm complaining," she added, smiling.

"I realized that I have a life to live, and I need to live it. I don't want to turn into some dark blob on legs that is always pale, and dies unloved. I want to be happy. That's what Fred and I were going to do, only now, I have to do it without him. That's what Fred wanted me to do. He told me that on the way to Hogwarts. I think he had a feeling that those were his last hours, and he wanted me to be as prepared as possible. I needed to move on, so I started to. I'm still working on it, but I'm getting better. That's the first joke I've made since that day. I know, sad, isn't it? I need to fix that. It's like I forgot my hair or something." He laughed, and Ginny laughed too.

They were still laughing when Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Hermione walked in. All three of them stopped in their tracks, staring at George. Ginny and George, meanwhile, hadn't noticed them come in. They were still laughing, looking at each other, in their own world.

Then George said, "You know what, maybe I did forget my hair. My head has been feeling awfully weird lately." And he reached up and felt it. "Nope, it's still there! At least, as far as I can tell. Maybe I've just got some weird growth or something." Ginny threw back her head and laughed harder than ever. That was when George noticed his parents and Hermione. "Well, come in, I'm not that terrifying, am I? Or maybe I have a terrifying growth on my head. Do I, Ginny?" Ginny shook her head, still laughing.

"Oh, George, it's good to have you back," she said, sighing.

"What? I haven't been away, have I?"

Ginny burst out laughing again. George seemed to have acquired the sense of humor of both himself and Fred all at once. They would never get a serious thing out of him again. George winked at her, and hugged her tightly.

 **A/N: I didn't expect to get this one done so fast. I hope you like it! The Fred dream made me cry as I was writing it. It's been a year since I read the seventh book, and I still haven't gotten over his death.**

 **Bye!**

 **GFBW**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey, so I'm going to do a chapter just about every day, unless I really don't have enough time. And, just a reminder, I'm going on vacation this weekend, and won't be able to update. Just so you know, I decided to change to first person. Let me know if you don't like it, and want me to go back to third person.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. :(**

 _ **After the Hallows**_

 _ **Chapter 5**_

I got out of the hospital wing a week later, with directions from Madam Pomfrey to take a bone strengthening potion twice a day, and to visit her again in two weeks. George had been to visit me almost every day, as well as Harry. George talked to me about Fred as much as possible. He would tell me good things, sad things, funny things, and, most of all, things that would send him over the edge again unless he talked about them. He told me one day that he and Fred had said a not serious goodbye, thinking that they would see each other a few hours later. George saw Fred then, but his brother would never look at him again. That was one of the more sad days of my stay in the Hospital wing.

"Fred didn't want a serious goodbye, George," I had said through my tears. "He wanted one that was like your personality's. Goofy, hardly ever serious, yet with a lot of love. You know what I mean?"

George had left later that day looking even happier than he had the day I woke up, which was saying something.

Now, I was sitting by the lake on the grounds. It was a sunny, warm but not hot, day, so I was sitting in the shade of the enormous beech tree. I heard footsteps and looked up. It was Harry.

"Hey, Ginny," he said, walking over and sitting down next to me.

"Hi, Harry. How was the fixing up?" I was talking about the castle. When I had gotten out of the hospital wing the morning before, the castle was almost the same as it had been before the battle, the only difference being the addition of two large pictures in the Great Hall. One of them was of the members of the Order of the Phoenix that had died in the past three years, including Dumbledore. The other was of students and teachers who had died since Cedric Diggory. There were a lot. And, as Fred had not yet been a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and he wasn't a student or a teacher, McGonagall had put up a painting right behind the Headmistress's chair. It was of him, from a few days before the battle. It had a rather plain, large, frame, other than the fact that it said 'Mischief' above the painting, and 'Managed' right under it. It was perfect.

"Oh, tiring," Harry answered, startling me out of my thoughts.

"I can't believe I missed the funeral," I said sadly.

They had still held the funeral, only they had moved it out to the day after Ginny was found. The memorial was in between Snape and Dumbledore's tombs. It was also white marble, and had the names of all who had died in the Second War inscribed on it. Harry had personally carved Dobby's name on it. He had read the entire thing, and had been annoyed to find that Dobby wasn't on it. If anyone had reason to be on the memorial, it was Dobby. According to Hermione, Harry had stood up in the middle of the ceremony, and just walked up to the memorial, found an empty space, and carved Dobby's name on it. Everyone had been scandalized, until Harry explained to them that Dobby had saved his life, and if anyone had a problem with his name being on it, they could stand up and either fight him, or leave. No one moved.

Then I remembered the picture that had taken the place of the Fat Lady, who had been ruined by the Death Eaters. It was a picture of Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Tonks, who was officially part of the Marauder's now. They were the most interesting painting in the whole castle. You could just stand there for hours, listening to them, and you would never get bored. The password right now was 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!'

Last night, I found George sitting against the wall across the hall from the Marauders. Sirius and Remus were talking to him about dealing with his brother being gone. I suddenly remembered that the Marauders had been like a family, and Sirius and James had been closest. Then they were torn apart, with James dead, Sirius in Azkaban, Remus living his normal life, and the traitor Pettigrew supposedly dead. Then, Sirius had broken out, and two years later, he died, leaving Remus alone and sad, having lost his second brother. A few weeks ago, Pettigrew had died, and, though he had been a traitor, he was a Marauder. According to Lily, it was 'Once a Marauder, Always a Marauder, no matter what'. Then, last week, Remus died. They were all together once more.

Since that talk last night, George had been so much happier, it was amazing.

"Ginny, love, earth to Ginny!" Harry said. I had completely forgotten that I wasn't alone anymore.

"Sorry, I was just… thinking," I said, picking up a pebble and throwing it into the lake.

"About what?" Harry asked.

"Oh, you know… stuff. Dobby, Fred, George, you, the Marauders," I smiled, remembering their relentless teasing when I had come back late last night, with Harry. Lily had told them laughingly to leave me alone. She had also told me that if I had a picture of her, we could talk privately. When asked by Sirius what we would be talking about, she said 'Girl stuff,' and Sirius had turned red and turned away. It was interesting to see Sirius with short hair, seeing as I had only ever known him with long hair.

"You're doing it again, Ginny," Harry said, laughing.

"Oh, sorry," I said, grinning at him.

"Seriously, what's on your mind?"

"Mostly the Marauders. I don't know. I haven't had time to think in days. I just keep thinking about random things that I haven't gotten to think about yet, really," I replied.

"I know exactly what you mean, except I don't just drift away in the middle of a conversation." He laughed. "By the way, Kingsley said that we can go back to the Burrow tomorrow. That'll be nice, won't it?"

"Yes, except for the fact that it'll be a mess, and we'll be cleaning for days. I haven't been there since the wedding. I miss it so much," I said.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Kreacher and some of his friends- yeah, crazy isn't it, Kreacher having friends? Anyway, I sent them to clean the whole house. I thought it would be nice for your mum to go back to a clean house."

"Yeah, she'll like that," I said, leaning against his chest. He lay down on the grass, with his arm around my shoulders, looking into my eyes.

"What do you want to do next year?" Harry asked, stroking my hair and playing with the ends.

"I don't think I can come back here, you know? Just the trauma of it all. I don't think I would be able to go near the corridor where Fred died, and that would be a problem, seeing as that is the only way to get to Charms." I sighed. I'd looked forward to graduating ever since Bill had. Not because I didn't like it, just because I wanted that fancy certificate showing that I was a fully qualified witch.

"Yeah, I understand. How are you going to tell your mum?"

"Just like I told you. I think she'll understand."

Harry smiled at me. Suddenly he leaned forward and kissed me. It was soft, but passionate. He had his hands in my hair, and I had mine on the back of his neck.

"Hey! No snogging my sister in public!" We broke apart, and looked at who had spoken. It was Ron, of course.

"This wasn't public until you came over!" Harry said. It was true. We were on the bank of the lake, with the beech tree behind us, and bushes on either side.

"Okay, no snogging my sister where I can see you," Ron said, his ears turning red.

"Oh, Ron, get used to it! Remember you and 'Lav-Lav'?" Hermione said, shooting me a funny look. I giggled.

"Yeah, jeez, _Won-Won_ ," I said, laughing harder at the expression on his face. "You didn't seem to care when you were eating her face, did you? Or shall I call it 'upright wrestling'?"

"Okay, okay, you win!" Ron said, laughing, holding his hands up in surrender. "Just don't go doing it in the Great Hall, okay?"

Harry glanced at me, and grinned. I knew exactly what he was thinking. We were going to do it just to annoy Ron. I laughed.

"So, what were you guys talking about, anyway?" Hermione asked.

"What we're going to do next year. I've decided that I can't come back here next year. I just couldn't deal with it," I replied.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Hermione thoughtfully. "I've been thinking about it for a while, and I've decided that even so, I want to finish my education."

"I thought you'd say that," Ron muttered.

"Me too. Remember what she said to us in First Year, Ron?"

"Oh, yeah, wasn't it something about no realizing what Fluffy was standing on, and then that she was going to bed," he put on a high voice, " _Before either of us thought of another way to get us killed, or worse, expelled!_ "

I laughed. "Really Hermione?" She blushed. "What did you say to that, Ron?"  
"Well, I couldn't say anything to her, since she had stormed off, but I told Harry that she needed to sort out her priorities," Ron laughed.

"How come no one told me this before?" I asked, half laughing, half annoyed.

"We just didn't think of it," Hermione shrugged. "Anyway, Mrs. Weasley sent us out here to tell you guys to pack and get ready to leave tomorrow. She wants to leave at around ten."

"Ten!?" Ron gasped. "But- but- I usually sleep until then!"

"Exactly," said Hermione evilly. "She knows that, and she double checked with me to make sure that it would be torture for you." She grinned at Ron, then ducked as he swung his hand at her playfully. Hermione turned and ran away, looking over her shoulder and laughing. Ron ran after her.

"Those two are perfect together, don't you think?" I asked Harry.

He nodded. "We've known that they would be for ages before they did, anyway." He grinned at me. "We should probably go pack." He stood up and held out his hand to help me up. I ignored it.

"I'm not that old yet!" I laughed. "I can still get up by myself!"

"I know." Harry smiled at me.

The next morning, I woke up very early. I checked the time, and saw that it was only five-thirty. I could sleep for at least another three hours. I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but I was too awake. I eventually gave up and quietly got up, picked up my towels and outfit I had left out for myself the night before. I quietly slipped into the bathroom, and put a silencing charm on the door, so that I wouldn't wake up Hermione. She was a very light sleeper, and woke up at the sound of the shower usually.

I turned the water on hot, undressed, and slipped in. It felt good. I hadn't showered since the day after the battle, and since then I had fallen off of a cliff. I washed my hair thoroughly, and scrubbed my body, being careful of the few bruises that I still had left. I got out of the shower a few minutes later, and wrapped my hair up in a towel while I dried my body off. Then I dried my hair with my wand, and curled it just enough to make it wavy.

I slipped into my jeans and pale green swirly t-shirt, and put my shoes on. Then I dried my towels with my wand and carried them out of the bathroom. Hermione was still asleep, so I just put my towels and pajamas on my bed, and quietly walked out of the dormitory.

I decided to talk to the Marauders, since no one was up yet. I pushed open the portrait hole and turned walked out. I turned and looked at the portrait, and saw that everyone except James and Sirius were awake.

"Hey, guys," I said, smiling.

"Wotcher, Ginny," Tonks said, smiling at me.

"Morning, Ginny," said Lily, poking her husband in the ribs. He didn't move. She poked him harder. He grunted. She poked him some more. He leaned away from her, onto Sirius, who, being asleep, wasn't ready, and fell onto an unsuspecting Remus, who then fell onto Tonks. Tonks fell over as well, and failed to catch herself on the edge of the frame. All I could see was Lily, who was nearly falling over laughing at them. James and Sirius had finally woken up, and got to their feet, swearing. Lily was in hysterics, as was I. It was the funniest thing I had seen since I went to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"Ouch, bloody hell, James, you're heavy!" Sirius exclaimed, glaring playfully at his best friend. "Is that fat or muscle?" He grinned suddenly, having spotted Ginny. "Oh, hello, Ginny! What are you laughing at?"

I couldn't talk coherently, as I was still laughing. "You- James- fell- so funny- best thing- ever seen!"

Sirius glared at me too. "Oh, so you were watching, were you?"

"Of course she was, Pads, why else would Lily have started poking James to wake him up at this ungodly hour?" Remus said, laughing.

Sirius sighed. "Why does everyone always laugh at me? It's not like I'm that funny, or anything."

This made me laugh even harder, since it was completely untrue.

"So, Ginny, why are you up this early?" asked Remus.

"Oh, I couldn't sleep. I'm to excited to go home. I'm going to miss you guys. Do you have any clue where I could get a picture to talk to?"

"You could duplicate this one," Lily said thoughtfully. "And then shrink it, so that you can move it easily."

"That's a good idea, Lily, thanks!" I said happily. " _Gemino_!" I cried, pointing my wand at the painting. An identical one appeared next to it. I moved it to the other side of the corridor to shrink it.

"Blimey, this is weird!" James exclaimed. "I'm here, and I'm there! Hey, can I talk to myself?"

"I dunno, Prongs, you should try it," Sirius said. I knew he didn't want to try it first because he never missed a chance to laugh at James.

"Alright. Hi, me!" James said, waving at the James in the painting opposite. It waved back.

"Hello, other James!" the James in the second painting said.

"How are you?" James asked.

"Good, how are you?" James answered.

Merlin, this was confusing. I quickly shrunk the portrait, and put it in my bag. Hermione had preformed and Undetectable Extension Charm on it, so the frame fit fine. The Marauders were so interesting, that I wasn't bored for the next few hours.

 **A/N: Hurray! Another chapter! Let me know how you like it!**

5


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry it's taken so long to update. I have had a migraine all week, and I couldn't write at all. I hope that this is a good chapter, and that you won't give up on me!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own anything you recognize.**

 _ **After the Hallows**_

 _ **Chapter 6**_

I was standing in my dorm, looking around. I had just finished packing, but I didn't want to leave yet. I could remember all the things that happened here since my first year. There was when Mary McLaggen passed out in first year, with nerves for the exams that never came. There was when Rosalyn Peakes jumped off of her bed in third year, trying to touch the ceiling, and broke her elbow on landing. I laughed, remembering the many jokes we had had about it. There had been one more girl, Jennifer Dawn, who had been beaten by the Carrows and had committed suicide off the Astronomy Tower a week later after finding out that her family was dead. I sighed, picked up my trunk, wand, and broomstick, and walked out of the dorm, down the spiral staircase, and into the almost empty Common Room. Ron, Hermione, and Harry were waiting by the portrait hole.

"Hey, Gin," Harry said, looking up. "What took you so long?"

"Oh, memories, you know," I replied, walking over to kiss him. Ron pointedly cleared his throat. I rolled my eyes. "What about you and _Lav-lav_ , hmm? You guys were way worse than Harry and me."

Ron got a pained look in his eyes. I looked at Harry for an explanation. "Lavender died, Ginny. Greyback attacked her," he said softly. "He tore her face and chest apart, and she died from blood loss, before anyone could heal her."

I had images flashing across my minds eye. Bill, mangled, in the hospital wing. Lavender, torn apart, lying in a pool of blood with Fenrir Greyback towering over her. The world went black, and I crashed to the floor, unconscious.

"Ginny! _Ginny!"_ I heard Harry's faint voice, growing louder. I groaned. My head hurt. I must have hit it on the way down. I opened my eyes, and they focused immediately on Harry, bending over me, looking worried.

"Sorry," I muttered, sitting up. "What happened?"

"We were talking to you, and then you just spaced out, and a second later, you fell over and hit your head on the table. What made you pass out?" Hermione asked from behind Harry.

"I saw Bill in the hospital wing after Greyback attacked him, and then I saw Lavender in a pool of blood, with Greyback next to her," I replied.

"Blimey, Ginny, you shouldn't picture things so… so… vividly," Ron said, shaking his head.

"We should get going. Your family will be waiting for us," Hermione said, checking her watch.

We picked up our trunks, and dragged them out of the portrait hole. We said goodbye to the Marauders, and slowly wandered down to the Entrance Hall. It was fairly empty, except for Mum, Dad, Bill, Charlie, Percy, George, McGonagall, and Kingsley. The group looked up as we approached.

"Ah, you four, we were just about to go look for you," Mrs. Weasley said. She tapped each of our trunks and broomsticks with her wand, shrinking them to pocket size. "Well, Minerva, Kingsley, we'll be off now, if you don't mind," she added, looking over at the two.

"No, that's fine," McGonagall said. "Good-bye, Potter, Granger, all of you." She smiled. "I hope I'll be seeing you all again."

"Of course you will, Professor," Harry said, smiling back.

I took Harry's hand, and smiled at the Headmistress and Minister of Magic. Mum shook hands with both of them, and lead the way out the door. I turned back halfway across the grounds, and saw McGonagall and Kingsley waving out of the door. I waved back, smiling, and leaned my head on Harry's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me, and I wrapped my arm around him. I was happy. For the first time in weeks, I was truly happy.

We reached the gates, and Mum looked over at us. She smiled at me. I could tell that she could tell that I was happy. Harry took my hand again, and Disapparated with me.

When we left the wormhole, the first thing I saw was the orchards behind our house. I was home! I let go of Harry's hand, and ran in and out of the trees, laughing happily. I felt young again. I almost forgot that I had ever been away. I felt like I had just gotten my first letter from Hogwarts; that's how happy I was.

I could hear Harry behind me. Suddenly, he was in front of me, and caught me up in his arms. He spun me around, and I shrieked with laughter. He set me down, and kissed me. It was the happiest moment of my life so far. I felt like I could do anything. We broke apart, grinning, and I laughed, spinning around. I heard thunder suddenly, and looked up just as it started poring. This did nothing to dampen my spirits. If fact, it made me happier, which I didn't know was possible. I held my arms out with my face turned up to the sky, soaking in the water. I saw Harry watching me out of the corner of my eye. He was leaning up against an apple tree, grinning like a lovesick schoolboy, which he was, except without the schoolboy part. I twirled around, my hair flying behind me.

After a while, Harry tapped my on the shoulder, and told me that we should probably go into the house. We were both soaking wet, but we didn't care. I took his hand and we skipped all the way back to the house.

Right before we got to the house, Harry pulled me into his arms, his face buried in my hair. "I love you so much, Gin. Have I told you that?" he said.

"Yes, you have, but I like it. I love you more, anyway," I pulled away from him, winked, and laughed.

We wrapped our arms around each other and walked the rest of the way into the house. We quickly preformed drying charms on ourselves right inside the door, and went to reassure Mum that we were alive.

Later that night, after dinner, I went up to my room and took my trunk and broomstick out of my pocket. I regrew them quickly, and looked around my room. It was a mess, and that was an understatement. There were clothes, books, and blankets strewn across the floor, my bedside lamp was broken. Apparently the Death Eaters had done a thorough search after we left. I repaired the lamp, and started cleaning. I didn't do it with my wand, as I wanted time to think. The cleaning took a little over an hour, and by then it had stopped raining, and the moon and stars had come out.

I opened my window, and leant out it, the breeze making my hair ripple. I looked out over the orchards, and clearly remembered Harry in here a little less than a year ago. He had obviously been very nervous, because he had commented on the weather, of all things. I laughed at the memory.

I turned back into my room, and looked around at the plain green walls. I had had posters up, but apparently they had been ruined. Suddenly, I realized that I didn't want green walls anymore. I waved my wand, and they turned to blue. I conjured up some posters of the Holyhead Harpies, and pinned them on the walls. Then I took out my picture of the Marauders and placed it on the nightstand.

I stepped back to take it all in, and decided it was perfect, except the comforter on my bed was red, which had looked nice with the green, but absolutely clashed with the blue walls. I quickly changed it to white, and smiled happily.

I walked back to the window, through which a warm breeze called invitingly. I leaned out of it again, breathing in the air. It smelled wonderful. I had always loved thunderstorms, but I loved it more when it stopped raining, and the sun or moon came out. It was just beautiful. I heard footsteps on the stairs, but didn't move. I knew it was late, but I didn't care. I was of age, and Mum couldn't rule over me anymore. The footsteps stopped outside my door, and someone knocked. So it wasn't Mum, she never knocked. She just walked in.

I turned my head and said, "Come in." I turned my head back outside, so I didn't see who it was.

"Hey, Gin." It was Harry. I turned around and smiled at him. "I thought you would be asleep by now."

"Oh? What time is it?" I asked.

"It's almost one o'clock," he replied, looking around my room. "You redecorated," he added.

"Yup. The green reminded me too much of the war. I couldn't stand it. Where are you sleeping?"

"I don't know. Hermione and Ron are together in his room, and I don't think they want me there, and I don't want to be a witness to anything in between them." He grinned.

"You – you could sleep here," I said nervously. "I mean, only if you want to. I'll understand if you don't want to, I mean-"

He walked over to me and laid a finger on my lips, making me stop. "Of course I want to, Gin. Haven't I told you how much I love you?" I nodded. "Then why would you doubt that I would want to?"

"I don't know, I just thought… you know… we haven't been together for all that long or anything," I replied.

"Ginny, I think that we have been together longer than either of us know. I think that we have always been together in a way, ever since that day on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. I've loved you for a while, but I always put it off to brotherly feelings," Harry said, smiling.

I couldn't help myself anymore. I reached up and took his face in my hands, pulling him towards me. I kissed him. Hard. I put every ounce of my love for him into it, and he responded equally. I pushed him backwards onto my bed, never breaking the kiss. A minute later, we broke apart, breathing heavily.

"We should go to sleep soon," said Harry.

I nodded, but I wasn't finished yet. I leaned down and captured his lips with mine once more. My hands wound themselves into his hair, and I felt his hands on my back pulling me closer. We rolled over, so he was on top, and broke apart once more.

"I love you so much, Harry," I whispered.

"I love you too, Gin," he whispered back, tracing my face with his finger. He kissed my nose softly. "We should go to sleep now, though."

"Yeah. Do you have your trunk?" I asked.

He nodded and took it out of his pocket. He found his pajamas and took them into my bathroom. I found mine, put them on, put my hair up, and went back to the window. I climbed out of it onto the small bench I had made on the roof under the window. I stared up at the sky, thinking, and eventually I heard the bathroom door open again. A second later I heard Harry behind me, and felt him playing with my hair. It gave me the chills.

"Let's go to bed now," he whispered. I nodded and stood up, climbing back through the window. I slipped into bed, and Harry slid in beside me. We curled up together, facing each other.

"Goodnight, love," Harry whispered.

"Goodnight, I love you," I whispered back. He kissed my forehead softly, and I slowly fell asleep. The nightmares that had been haunting me since the war didn't make their appearance that night, for the first time.

I woke up slowly the next morning to the sound of birds outside my window. I smiled and opened my eyes. It took me a minute to realize that I was actually at home, and Harry was next to me. He was watching me.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked with a yawn.

"Only a couple of minutes," he replied, kissing me.

"What's the time?"

"Ten. We slept late. Everyone else is up already." He smiled at me, and I smiled back. "Do you want to shower first, or can I?" he asked.

"You can. I want to read for a bit," I responded. He nodded and gathered up his stuff. I picked up my book, and went out onto the roof again. I was reading Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers for about the fifth time since Hermione had introduced me to it. It was my favorite book in the world. I read for about fifteen minutes, and then I went back into my room and picked out my outfit for the day. I picked a pair of skinny jeans with a white top and dark green camisole and a pair of black flats.

"Your turn," Harry said, coming out of the bathroom. His hair was still wet, and he didn't have his glasses on yet. I smiled at him and walked into the bathroom. I set my stuff down on the counter, and got undressed. I enchanted my wand to play 'Queen' (another thing from Hermione) and got into the shower. I washed my hair, which had grown quite long over the year, and my body, taking time to scrub everything off of me. Finally, I was done, and I got out of the shower, drying my hair and body with my wand. I got dressed, and left the bathroom. Harry was waiting for me, and we went down to breakfast together, holding hands. Everyone had already eaten, but there was still some pancakes and bacon left for us.

"Morning," Mum said. She was sitting at the table folding laundry, and, for the first time in years, she didn't have the clock next to her. It was up on the shelf, where it belonged.

"Morning, Mum," I said.

"Morning, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, smiling at her.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"Ron, Bill, Charlie, and Dad went out to play quidditch, Percy went to Diagon Alley to meet with Kingsley about a job, but George went into the orchard. He said he needed time alone. When you're done with your breakfast, can you check on him?" Mum asked.

"Yeah," I said, slightly worried. George shouldn't be left alone for that long yet, he might be getting better, but he still wasn't back to the way he was, and he could still try and commit suicide.

We ate our breakfast quickly, washing our dishes when we were done. Then we went out, hand in hand, towards the orchard. We hunted around for George for a while, until we found him in the fort in the oak tree that he and Fred had built when they were seven. He was sitting with his head in his hands, and didn't appear to hear us approaching. I motioned for Harry to wait down below, while I climbed the ladder and into the fort.

"Hey, Georgie," I whispered softly, once I reached the top. "What's up?"

He didn't move. I sat down beside him, and wrapped my arm around his shoulders. He shrugged me off. I sat there, wondering what to do.

"Georgie, what's wrong?"

"You know what's wrong," he said, and I winced at how harsh his voice was. I had never heard it that harsh.

"No, not really. You seemed fine yesterday, and the day before that. What happened?"

"We're home, Ginny, but it's not home anymore," his voice was still just as harsh. "I slept in the room that Freddie and I used to share, but it was wrong. So wrong. I didn't sleep. I can't do it, Ginny, I just can't. I've lost my other half, and I can't live with only one arm and leg."

"Georgie, you know that Fred wouldn't want you to dwell on him. He loved you so much. He _died_ for you. He died so that you didn't have to." I had tears in my eyes now, but I kept going. "He died so that you could live, so that you could grow old, and have a wife and kids. He – he wanted you to be happy. You need to do that for him. _For me_ ," I added in a whisper. "You need to be strong for the family. We know that it will take time, but you accepting his death is the first step to the whole family accepting it."

He lifted his head up and looked me in the eye. I was shock at how dead his normal bright eyes looked. I had tears streaming down my face now, but I didn't care. I was going to help him, no matter how hard it was.

"Please, George," I whispered. "We all love you."

He held his arms out, a silent plea for comfort. I leaned towards him, and hugged him. He buried his face in my neck, and I leaned my head against his shoulder. I could feel him shaking with dry sobs. I held him close, and let him cry.

A little while later, he stopped crying, and he pulled back a little. "Thanks, Gin," he said.

"Anytime, Georgie. Just let me know when you need me, and I'll be there. I promise," I replied.

He smiled weakly at me, and I stood up, holding out my hand to him. He took it, and I pulled him up. I hugged him again, and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Let's go to the house, and you can sleep in Charlie's room tonight. I'm sure he'll understand."

He nodded, and we climbed down. Harry was leaning against the tree, waiting patiently for us. He stood up when we came down, and we all walked back to the house, me in the middle, holding both of their hands.

"There you are, George," Mum said. "I was wondering if you would like to go to the lake with the boys."

"Sure," he said with a grin. He had cheered up considerably on the walk home.

"Harry, dear, the minister just sent a note for you to see him. You're invited too, Ginny. I would suggest changing into something more formal. You have to meet him outside Gringotts at one," Mum said, turning to us.

"What does he want with both of us?" I asked. "I mean, I understand Harry, but me? Why me?"

"He didn't say," Mum replied. "But you should go change."

Harry and I walked up to my room, and started hunting for dress clothes.

"Muggle or wizard, do you reckon?" Harry asked me.

"I'm going with Muggle, I don't have any wizards dress robes that fit me anymore," I replied.

I found a pale green halter dress and some white flats and took them into my bathroom. I washed my face and put a little bit of make-up on. Then I changed into my dress and shoes and brushed my hair. I twisted it up into a simple knot on the back of my head, and walked out of the bathroom. Harry was already dressed and waiting for me.

"You look nice, Gin," he said, smiling. I blushed.

"Same to you," I replied.

A quarter of an hour later, we were on the steps that led up to Gringotts, waiting for Kingsley. We still had no idea what he wanted, and I was starting to get nervous.

"We're early," Harry said, checking his watch. "It's twelve forty-five and we don't have to be here until one. Want to get some ice cream? I heard that Florean Fortesque came back."

"Sure," I replied.

A little while later, we were back at Gringotts, ice creams in hand. It was now almost one, and we just had to wait a few minutes until we spotted Kingsley.

"There he is, Harry," I said, pointing down the steps. Kingsley was at the bottom, talking with a grim-faced auror that I recognized from one of the trips to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Kingsley glanced up and saw me looking at him. He waved off the auror, and came up the steps to meet us.

"Good afternoon, Minister," Harry said, standing up and shaking Kingsley's hand. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Oh, please, Harry," Kinglsey said. "Just call me Kingsley and drop the formal attitude. I'm still the same person as I was before I became Minister of Magic. We are here to talk to the goblins about your inheritance from your mother and father. Apparently there is another vault that could not be accessed until you came of age, and there is also a house. Other than the one in Godric's Hollow, I mean."

Harry looked shocked. "But then," he said, "why is Ginny here?"

I had been wondering the same thing, and looked at Kingsley, waiting for an answer.

"She is here because I thought you might like to have her here, and because we are also here to talk about her inheritance from Sirius Black. Apparently, he didn't leave quite everything to you, Harry. He seemed to really like you, Ginny, because he left you half of his money, and the house he had bought before Lily and James died," Kingsley responded.

I stared at him, shocked. Sirius left me half his money? That had to be at least ten thousand galleons! I knew Sirius had liked me, but apparently he thought of me as a sort of daughter!

 **A/N: Hey, guys, I hope you liked it! The next chapter will be them in the house left to Harry, as I am skipping over all of the negotiations and stuff. Let me know what you think!**

 **FGBW**


	8. Author's Note 2

Hello everyone! I know I haven't updated in a while…. Since April, as a matter of fact, but I just lost interest in the story. I might update again sometime, but I'm not sure. I've had a busy year, with lots of ups and downs, and can't always find the time to write, or the right place in my mind to get the ideas from. It's almost like my mind palace had an earthquake. Anyway, I hope you all understand, and that you will stick with me. If I don't update by the end of the year (which is my goal), I'll be putting this story up for adoption.

Love and gratitude,

FGBW


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